Budget Cooking for Staying Afloat
Anyone else suffering from big ole credit card statements, rent payments and bills, and feeling like you just keep having to spend money?
The holidays are rough, especially this year.
At least for me. I recently moved to a new city (closer to work, thank heavens, so gas isn’t a huge downer anymore), started buying and cooking for one, and started a business. Yikes. All the while, I want to safely make my family and friends happy during this time, as it has proven to be especially stressful. It has definitely been a learning curve for me, and I want to share some tips that work for my life, specifically in the kitchen and even more specifically, tips that are saving me dimes on dollars to make it through the holidays.
I’m the kind of girl who can’t eat the same thing every day or even deal with the same flavors day in and day out. This makes an interesting obstacle when it comes to buying groceries and cooking for one person. In this post, I’ll share my kitchen staples, go-to flavors and styles for variety, and some quick ideas for preparing your meals this week.
When it comes to being “stocked” on staples, unfortunately, money has to be spent. BUT, maybe this only has to be done once every few months, with infrequent and small replenishments in between.
Freezer
Ah, my favorite, yet seemingly underutilized and unappreciated, section of the kitchen. Here I hold most of my favorite proteins, a few veggies and fruits, some prepped soups, and scraps. Yep, pretty much glorified garbage.
Shrimp, Fish, Edamame
My favorites are wild caught, peeled and deveined shrimp and wild caught ahi tuna (wayyy cheaper than you’d think)
Riced Cauliflower
Huge help in the prep category. Microwave and season, add to any meal, or even a smoothie for a flavorless veggie additive. Done.
Vegetable Scraps-In-A-Bag
Save the onion tops and roots, bell pepper hats and seeds, cauli and broccoli stalks, and just about any vegetable peel or skin you discard from chopping in a gallon ziplock bag in the freezer. When its full, boil the scraps in water for a good long while to end up with homemade veggie stock. Use it or freeze it.
Prepared Soups (in 2-serving portions)
Cooking soup for one person is nearly impossible. This is hard for a soup lover like myself. I make a big ole batch of soup (see some of my recipes on @allergenkitchen), eat my portion, refrigerate a portion, then ladle the rest into quart-sized Ziplocks to freeze for easy thaw-and-eat soups later on.
Raw Veggies That Got Left Behind
Another downside of cooking for one is waste potential. For example, I buy fresh okra or green beans in season in the package they come in. Usually for a family. I chop and cook enough for myself for 2 meals and freeze the rest in Ziplocks.
Fresh Ginger
Use this knob of ginger for months to grate into any Asian-inspired dish or really any meal that could use an umami kick.
Browning Bananas
Whichever bananas don’t make it till the end of the week I throw in a Ziplock to freeze for smoothies. They add this excellent smooth ice-creamy texture to smoothies, and it prevents me from having to add ice.
It has come to my attention through typing this section that I use a lot of Ziplocks. Still working on the whole plastic thing.
Dry & Canned Goods
The silent hero. Always slept on, never appropriately appreciated. And yes, they can be healthy.
Whole Wheat Pasta
Just yes. I am a pasta FANATIC, probably eat it at least once a week, and only generally buy whole wheat. By making the switch from white to wheat pasta, you’re kicking up your fiber intake by 3 whole grams per serving and adding all of the vitamins and minerals that get stripped from the grain when making white pasta. Tastes the same, roughly the same price. More on fiber in a later post.
Basmati Rice
Favorite rice EVER. Cheap, tasty, easy to make. That is all.
Canned Tomatoes
I love adding canned tomatoes (so many kinds to choose from too, ya feel me?) to pasta, salads, rice, soups, etc. It’s a great way to add some acidic sweetness to a dish or make the base for your tomato sauce for about $0.46 per can. Can’t beat it.
Canned Beans
So much fiber, so much flavor. Each bean can have so many different uses. I typically keep refried beans, black beans, chickpeas, and kidney or white beans in my pantry. I use chickpeas in just about every Mediterranean dish I make. Fat free refried beans see my plate every single week for Tostada Tuesday, and black beans are a great fiber-punch to have around when your meal is lacking. Like I said, more on fiber later.
Rice Paper Wrappers
This is a weird one, right? I eat homemade spring rolls weekly, and these wrappers are such a great vehicle for raw veggies, simple proteins, or even fruit for a sweet tooth. Wet the wrapper in cold water briefly, add your fillings, roll. Fun and yummy.
Tunafish
Wow, I love you, tuna. You are a versatile, lean, and nutritious protein. I like to eat you by yourself mixed with mayo and veggies, and I also love adding you to noodles for protein and nostalgia.
Garlic In A Jar
Need I say more?
Nuts
Walnuts are my favorite versatile plant-based fat and tidbit of protein to add to oatmeal, yogurt, salads, you name it. I always have these in my pantry.
Pro tip: Purchase no-salt-added canned goods to decrease the amount of sodium you consume. Canned foods can absolutely be nutritious, but are almost always salty in nature.
Spices ‘n Stuff
If nothing else, buy the ones listed below. They will change the way your food tastes and I GOTTA HAVE ‘EM.
Garlic Salt
While this is by far my favorite and most frequently used seasoning, it is still salt. Measure with your heart, but please protect your heart. Use a little of this and make up for the rest with garlic powder or minced garlic. Also, I only buy Lawry’s. I would marry this spice if I could.
Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
Whole black peppercorns are cheap and last forever. I add these to a pepper mill and grind it into just about everything I eat.
Olive Oil & Spray Oils
Olive oil is my primary cooking oil of choice. It has a fairly high smoke point considering what I generally use it for, good flavor, a decent balance of Omega 3 fatty acids, and can be used in pretty much any dish. I also buy H-E-B brand olive and avocado oils in a can. It’s the only ingredient and a great way to control how much fat I add to a pan for simple sautéing or baking.
Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute
The GOAT of salt-free seasonings. It really does have 21 spices or herbs, and adds so much depth to anything you add it to.
Taco Seasoning
I’m a Texan through and through. Tex Mex is featured in my kitchen at least once a week, and I always use taco seasoning to spice my protein or vegetables that I’m using for tacos, tostadas, enchiladas, dairy-free quesadillas, you name it. Again, this is pretty high in salt. So use a little bit, and make up for the rest with cumin, chili powder, cayenne, Mexican oregano, and garlic. And onions. Always onions.
Turmeric
I really love the color of this, to be perfectly honest. It has an umami flavor, and it is very unique. I would describe it as fairly mild. My favorite things to add this to are basmati rice (added to the water when cooking the rice), curries (both Thai and Indian), and roasted vegetables (usually cauliflower).
Red Pepper Flakes
I like it spicy. Measure with your heart, but proceed with caution.
Everything But The Bagel Seasoning
I feel like this doesn’t need justification. My fave use is on eggs, avocado toast, or sandwiches.
Like I said, this is just a few. My spice cabinet is arguably pretty diverse, but I just buy herbs and spices here and there when I need them for something specific. I would just recommend having these on hand to make your life easier.
Produce
I consider the produce section to be my wonderland. I know how dramatic that sounds, but it’s where I best express my creativity. It’s also a vital way to save you money in big ways. Sub below with your favorite fruits and veggies as you see fit, I just find these to be the most versatile and cost-effective when cooking.
Onions
I put onions in everything I cook, and I refuse to change. Yellow onions are strong, slightly spicy, but easy to add to anything. Red onions are the spiciest of all, perfect for quick pickling, and are suitable salad or sandwich toppers. Sweet onions are best served raw, IMO. I also dig a good caramelized sweet onion on pizzas or in stir fry dishes. Green onions are just perfect in their entirety.
Mushrooms
My most favorite vegetable (or, fungus? I guess). Slice, chop, or use them whole to add umami and meaty texture. These pack vitamin D and add great veggie bulk to any dish.
Bell Peppers
I have gotten in the habit of doing the whole “4-for-$5” deal with sweet bell peppers and coring them to put in a bag with a dry paper towel to make them last longer. I slice or chop them whenever I need them. They go so well in salads, on pizzas, in stir fry dishes, on sandwiches, raw with hummus, or even roasted.
Cilantro
Fresh herbs are a perfect way to add flavor and variety to your diet. I once read something that said, “when a recipe calls for 2 Tbsp of herbs, put 2 cups” and watch your dish transform into a completely new vibrant masterpiece. Store washed in a Ziplock with a dry paper towel to maximize freshness and fridge life.
Cauliflower
Steam, smash, dice, roast, raw. This is probably my most frequently consumed and most frequently “experimented-on” vegetable. I buy this every week and its soooo affordable to break down and keep handy.
Shredded Carrots
You can really add this to anything. Talk about bang for your buck.
Cabbage
It may take you some time to chop or shred this up, but once you do, you won’t regret it. Shredded cabbage is such a great way to add bulk and veggie goodness to just about anything.
Oranges
They last forever, they’re cheap, easy to transport, and smell really dang good. I love a cold sweet orange.
Avocados
Buy them a *little* more firm than perfect, eat by the half and store the other half with the pit and a slice on onion in a bag in the fridge. Trust me on the onion thing. Goodbye, brown avocados.
Produce is like art. It is so valuable and beautiful in the eye of the beholder. Slow down, leave the produce section on your grocery list blank, appreciate the colors, imagine the flavors, shop affordably, make choices that fit your budget and tastes.
You belong here.Courtney
